Simple Is Better – Make a Difference - Jesus and the Samaritan woman

John 4:25-26 – The woman said, “This is all so confusing, but I do know that the Anointed One is coming—the true Messiah. And when he comes, he will tell us everything we need to know.”

Jesus said to her, “You don’t have to wait any longer, the Anointed One is here speaking with you—I am the One you’re looking for.”

Truth? Some days just feel a bit more fulfilling than others.

There are days when a surprise visit or an extended visit or even a short visit feel SO. GOOD.

When we combine some fun with work, laughs and a bit of silliness that plaster a smile on a face which stays until your eyes drift off to asleep. When someone shares something that touches your heart. Your soul. When you feel like you literally are in the right place at the right time with maybe even the right words to say. This golden trifecta does not happen often enough. When it does? Whew! It’s a good day. 

As each day winds down, I ponder if I made any meaningful contribution somewhere throughout the day. I think about the day’s highlight. The lowlights. How I could have handled something differently. Did something happen today which made a difference? Where some little thing impacted even one person? Where did I leave some positive fingerprints throughout the day?

It is a good day when we feel like we have made just a tiny bit of difference. When we feel like we touched some person’s life. Connected with a person on a deeper level than, “How are you today?” Maybe it’s a short conversation. A small interaction. A seemingly anonymous moment that melts another person’s heart. Truly, these ARE the good days. It’s meaningful when someone shares that some little thing you did made a difference. What an encouragement!

Other days, those golden moments are more difficult to determine. When discouraging feedback is more prevalent than positive. The steps backwards dominate more than the steps forward. When nothing seems to go right and you wonder if any of it is really worth it.

When a moment touches my heart and mind, I savor it. I replay it in my mind so it will not drift away. I may journal about it so I can later revisit what happened. I value and appreciate the smallest of situations and cherish them. No one else needs to be aware of them. Only I need to capture them into my heart and mind.

Too often, we spend time and energy where we think we will be acknowledged by someone else for doing something good. Important. Note-worthy. Our five minutes of fame.

Most of us will not have a noteworthy position. Have our name on the side of a building. Few of us will have a name that anyone outside of our circle of friends will know. I am OK with this … and I hope you are as well. I don’t need to be a big fish in a little pond. Life isn’t about catching one massive fish. It’s about catching a whole bunch of blue gills and croppies, pan fish, which can be eaten right away and provide nourishment. Fish that aren’t super pretty or flashy. But dependable. Trust-worthy. Reliable. Honestly, I find the behind-the-scenes ones more fun and interesting. More my style. Moments when only I need to know what happened.

If you want to be an in-the-limelight person, you go for it. For the rest of us? It’s OK to be content and happy with normal things. Little things. The things that help create meaning in our lives. What that is for you will not be the same as for me. This is OK. What is more important is knowing what your thing is.

Jesus purposefully ran into a Samaritan woman at the local well. It was during the heat of the day. Intentionally, she came to the well at that time, hoping she would not run into anyone else. She wanted to be incognito. Purposeful in being present when no one else would be.

The woman didn’t anticipate running into a Jewish man let alone one who spoke to her. You see, Jewish men did not speak to Samaritan women. The women were considered unclean. This particular Samaritan woman had been married multiple times, which means she was even less desirable. She’s the type of woman that everyone else talked about. And not in a positive way.

Yet, this strange man takes time to talk with her. Chat. Share with her who he was. It must have been confusing for the woman. Why did this man do this?

Jesus planned this encounter very early in his ministry. It set the tone for so much of what Jesus did for the next three years. He became the best advocate for ordinary people. Even the ones that everyone else didn’t want to associate with. The person with no special bells and whistles and maybe even some hidden skeletons in their closet. The one who shows up and does his or her best in spite of their challenging situation. Who doesn’t expect anything in return. An ordinary person just living their simple life to the best of their ability.  

Jesus sought out the most regular, normal people and interacted with them. He also spoke with the people on the fringes of society; those that everyone else avoided. The ones that hid behind their veils because this was most comfortable for them. The ones no one really wanted to be with. Interact with. Keep in touch with.

If we were truly honest, we’d admit there are plenty of fringe people that we prefer not to hang out with. The homeless. The indigent. The ones that smell, look different and don’t fit into our carefully curated idea of what a “normal” person looks like. The person who may not have followed all the rules and has some run-ins with the law. The person who just wants to have a better life for themselves and their family but may not have all of their I’s dotted and their T’s crossed. The addict, the person who can’t get their life together. People who make more mistakes than correct choices.

These are the modern-day Samaritan women in our culture. Those we are more uncomfortable with than are comfortable with us. Take note. Jesus didn’t walk away from this woman. He walked towards her. Had an intentional conversation with her. Gave her hope, mercy, love and grace; all at the same time.

These days, we seem to spend more time focusing on where we are different and who we don’t want to associate than realizing we really are all children of the One, Truth God. Everyone else is more of a fringe person than we are which means we must distance ourselves from them. We demand justice for others yet request mercy when we fall short.

What if, instead, we went looking for the Samaritan people in our lives and actually loved them? Offered them a token of the same love that God freely extends to us? It’s easy to point to other people and insist its their responsibility to do this. Maybe, just maybe, Jesus is calling us to walk up to one specific fringe person and offer them some compassion?

When I get outside of myself and actually do this, more often than we think, it ends up being a good day. In fact, a very good day. These are the types of days I want more of. Not the flashy ones. But the quiet ones where someone can honestly tell me that I made some small difference. I pray that I remain humble enough to graciously accept these opportunities and pray that some little thing I do will be meaningful to the other person.

It’s this simple and this hard. Yes, there may be times we get burned. I pray that we let the simple, good days far outrank those difficult days. Jesus didn’t give up. I pray we don’t either. Keep finding the ordinary, regular people. They just may surprise you and how they impact you.

Blessings –

Dianne

Dear God – May I discover the opportunity to help another person today. Please help me chase after the right things and not the things that might give me recognition. May bringing joy to one person’s life be enough. Amen.

Looking for a bit of daily inspiration? Check out my daily affirmation posts on Facebook and Instagram (Dianne Deaton Vielhuber and Simple Words of Faith.)

Dianne’s Upcoming Unraveling Together Book Events: 

Sun., Aug. 30 – Blackhawk Bethlehem Church, 9 AM worship, S10174 County Road C, Sauk City, WI 

Sun., Aug. 30 – Pages & Parcels National Day of Grief Event, 1-3 PM, 101 N Main St, Potosi, WI